National Bank Financial Cuts Empire (TSE:EMP.A) Price Target to C$54.00

Empire (TSE:EMP.A) had its price target decreased by National Bank Financial from C$56.00 to C$54.00 in a research report report published on Friday morning,BayStreet reports. National Bank Financial currently has a sector perform rating on the stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce increased their price target on Empire from C$54.00 to C$58.00 and gave the company an “outperformer” rating in a report on Friday, June 19th. Desjardins boosted their price objective on shares of Empire from C$53.00 to C$56.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 21st. TD upped their price objective on shares of Empire from C$50.00 to C$53.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 19th. Scotia lowered their target price on shares of Empire from C$50.00 to C$48.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Empire from C$55.00 to C$58.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, June 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of C$53.67.

Empire Stock Performance

EMP.A opened at C$45.61 on Friday. The company has a market cap of C$10.20 billion, a PE ratio of 53.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 16.20 and a beta of -0.29. The stock has a 50-day moving average of C$49.03 and a 200-day moving average of C$48.76. Empire has a 52-week low of C$43.81 and a 52-week high of C$52.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 135.51, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a current ratio of 0.79.

Empire (TSE:EMP.A) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 10th. The company reported C$1.04 EPS for the quarter. Empire had a return on equity of 12.94% and a net margin of 2.18%.The business had revenue of C$8.47 billion for the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Empire will post 2.9581227 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Empire Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st were given a $0.2425 dividend. This is a positive change from Empire’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $0.97 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 15th. Empire’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 102.33%.

Empire News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Empire this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Empire reported first-quarter earnings of C$1.04 per share and revenue of approximately C$8.47 billion. Sales and profit increased as the company added locations and emphasized discount-focused offerings, supporting the stock’s long-term growth case. Empire reports higher sales and profit as it adds locations, focuses on discount
• Positive Sentiment: Desjardins maintained a “buy” rating, although it reduced its price target from C$57 to C$53. National Bank Financial’s revised C$54 target and TD’s C$52 target also remain above the current share price, indicating analysts continue to see potential appreciation.
• Neutral Sentiment: Empire’s quarterly revenue was below the FactSet consensus of C$8.54 billion, coming in at C$8.47 billion. The modest miss may limit the positive impact of the earnings beat and stronger sales narrative. Empire first-quarter revenue report
• Negative Sentiment: TD cut its target to C$52 from C$53 and downgraded its stance to “hold.” National Bank Financial lowered its target to C$54 from C$56 and assigned a “sector perform” rating, while Scotia reduced its target to C$48 from C$50.
• Negative Sentiment: The broad target-price reductions—particularly Scotia’s limited implied upside—signal that analysts see fewer near-term catalysts following the results. This cautious reassessment is likely the main reason EMP.A has decreased despite reporting higher quarterly earnings and sales.

Empire Company Profile

Empire Company Limited (TSX: EMP.A) is a Canadian company headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia. Empire’s key businesses are food retailing, through wholly-owned subsidiary Sobeys Inc, and related real estate. With approximately $32 billion in annual sales and $17 billion in assets, Empire and its subsidiaries, franchisees and affiliates employ approximately 130,000 people. Additional financial information relating to Empire, including the Company’s Annual Information Form, can be found on the Company’s website at www.empireco.ca or on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.